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1/10/2025
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
Best location not what officials anticipated, study finds
A recent study of Missoula’s fire stations and response data found the best location for a new fire station is not where officials expected.
Missoula Fire Chief Gordy Hughes told the City Council on Wednesday that the study, conducted by Emergency Services Consulting International, determined a sixth station should be in the western part of the city, near the intersection of South Third Street and Curtis Street.
“I was very shocked,” he said. “We all thought it would make sense to put a fire station on [West] Broadway. … We banged that drum pretty hard to sell that levy, and the reason why is because our call volume and our station reliability were decreasing. We were having to backfill, steal resources, from the south part of the town and provide coverage north of the river that left those entire holes.”
In June, Missoula voters approved a 34-mill levy to help pay for the new station and 20 new firefighters. The agency has not kept up with the city’s growth over the last 15 years, and response times to emergency calls have increased, Hughes said.
When the fire department pitched the levy, officials said a new station would likely be west of Reserve Street and north of Mullan Road to help alleviate station four, located east of Reserve Street, and station one, located downtown.
Although the study proposes a different area for a sixth station, the suggested location and subsequent redistricting would still give relief to the north side of the river and the heart of the city where most calls happen, Hughes said.
The study takes into account not only the city department’s resources but the Missoula Rural Fire Department’s as well because the agencies have a mutual-aid agreement, said Rodney Mascho, a consultant with ESCI. The firm conducted a study for Missoula Rural Fire at the same time, finding the agency should move its station one, located on the corner of South Avenue and Reserve Street, further west to better serve neighborhoods west of city limits, Mascho said. Taking that into account, a new city fire station that can fill that gap and still help cover busy areas to the north is the best option, he said.
Hughes said considering both agencies’ resources helps avoid duplicating efforts, unnecessary spending and forgetting any variables.
To determine the best station location, the study analyzed the percentage of the agencies’ service areas within a four-minute travel time and the percentage of address points within a four-minute travel time, which is the National Fire Protection Association standard, Mascho said.
Including Missoula Fire and Missoula Rural Fire, 19% of the service area and 60% of address points are within a four-minute travel time. The recommended proposal, which includes the new city station and relocated rural fire station, would increase that to 21% of the service area and 68% of address points.
When just considering coverage within city limits, the new station would increase the percentage of the service area within a four-minute travel time from 31% to 37% and the address points from 54% to 71%.
“With that proposal of Third and Curtis, … we’re covering a greater area of protection to the west potentially for future growth or in assistance to Missoula rural district,” Hughes said.
The study analyzed the effects on travel time if the new station was built in the northwestern part of the city or if the new station was built near the airport and station two was moved further west.
Building the new station in the northwestern area of the city as originally expected would increase the service area within the four-minute travel time by about the same amount, but it would not improve the time for as many address points, according to the study. The third proposal would provide slightly better coverage but would be more expensive, Mascho said.
The department drafted a new map of the fire districts, including the new sixth district covering the River Road neighborhood south of the river and some areas north of the river between districts one and four. Hughes said the map will be tweaked depending on the final location of the station but will help level out calls north of the river.
In March, an alternate response unit located at station four will act as a beta test to help determine the new district boundaries, Hughes said. The new engine company that will eventually staff station six should be on the streets by the end of June, he said.
The new station will also be a centrally located home for the mobile support team, which rents space off Russell Street, Hughes said. The levy also provides permanent funding for the team, which responds to behavioral health-related 911 calls.
Staff will figure out the next steps to implement the study and move forward to find a location based on the findings, said Dale Bickell, the city’s chief administrative officer. The project will come back to the council multiple times as it advances, he said.
“We appreciate that we have a mutual-aid agreement with Missoula Rural, but we also don’t have any control over what their board does, where they build stations,” said Council Member Stacie Anderson. “We’re making sure we’re making the best decision with what we have control over.”
Public Notice
The Missoula City Council on Monday will hold a public hearing on a proposal to restrict trash and recycling collection hours to no earlier than 6 a.m. in residential areas.
Last month, Council Member Eric Melson said he proposed the changes in response to residents’ complaints of early morning noise and to limit bears’ access to trash cans left out overnight. Representatives from Republic Services and Grizzly Disposal and Recycling, who worked with Melson on the proposal, said the change won’t affect rates or union contracts.
The council meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the City Council Chambers, 140 W. Pine St. People can also join the meeting online via the Microsoft Teams link at the top of the agenda.
Following Up
On Monday, the Missoula City Council approved changes to the city’s sidewalk assessment program, making more people eligible to defer some or all of the cost of installing sidewalks. The council also approved a staff proposal to allow eligible residents to defer repair costs for hazardous sidewalks.
The new rules, effective Feb. 5, allow property owners with an assessment of more than $3,500 or those making less than 120% of the area median income to defer payment until their home is sold.
The city assesses property owners for adjacent sidewalks, driveway approaches and boulevard work. For single-family homes and duplexes, the city pays the first $1,000, then splits the costs until the property owner hits $3,500. The city pays up to $12,000 more, then the city and property owner split costs until the property owner pays $5,500 more, capping the owner’s cost at $9,000.
Property owners can pay the assessment in full or over eight, 12 or 20 years. Residential properties with a sidewalk assessment of more than $6,000 or those making less than 80% of the area median income can defer payment until the sale of their home. The deferred amount accrues interest, plus an administrative fee required by state law.
Ross Mollenhauer, engineering manager, said the city sends out about 25 letters per year notifying property owners of adjacent hazardous sidewalks they need to fix. Public works staff do not go looking for hazardous sidewalks but often see them when out in the field and follow up on reports from residents, he said.
Currently, residents can finance the hazardous repair projects with the city but are not eligible for cost-sharing, unlike when the city orders a sidewalk project, Mollenhauer said. The projects, typically costing $7,500, can be expensive for property owners, especially those on a fixed income, he said.
Public works estimated allowing eligible residents to defer hazardous sidewalk projects would cost the city about $100,000 annually, Mollenhauer said. The city will get the money back when the house sells, but it can’t budget for that revenue without knowing when the sale will happen, said Dale Bickell, the city’s chief administrative officer.
Estimating the cost of the larger change to the deferral program is difficult because it’s unclear how many more property owners would be eligible, Mollenhauer said. Less revenue from assessments would require more from the road district to pay for sidewalk projects, he said.
“As we make changes to the deferral programs and the sidewalk programs it is important to realize we’re saving money for the property owner and making it easier for them, but we’re also putting more of a burden on our other funding sources,” he said.
The council also approved changes to the language setting the interest rate for sidewalk project financing and deferrals and eliminated the rule prohibiting infill projects that postpone sidewalk construction from receiving a cost-share later on.
Council Member Sandra Vasecka withdrew a proposed amendment to lower the maximum assessment on single-family homes and duplexes from $9,000 to $3,500 to work on the language with the city attorney. Vasecka said she plans to bring back the proposal for consideration.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
On Wednesday, the Missoula City Council approved a 45-unit apartment complex in the lower Rattlesnake neighborhood. The project, located west of Greenough Drive with access off Minkler Loop, is part of a planned unit development (PUD) approved in 1994 that includes four six-plexes, one nine-plex and one 12-plex. The proposal pares down the 78 residential units and 80 mini-storage units originally approved in 1994 to just 45 apartments. The council cannot change the number of units but can only determine if the proposal complies with the conditions imposed 30 years ago, according to the staff report. The PUD requires two parking spaces per unit, and the applicant is proposing 109 spaces — 45 garage spaces and 64 surface parking spots.
The Missoula County commissioners on Thursday approved the Habitat for Humanity’s proposed four-lot subdivision in East Missoula. The 0.22-acre Pernell Commons will include four single-family homes at 509 and 515 Speedway Ave. The project received a “density bonus” allowing more homes per acre than the zoning because the homes will be fully electrified and not use a fossil fuel cooking or heating source. The commissioners also approved a variance allowing primary access from the alley and a shared parking area. The gravel alley will be paved.
The Poverello Center this month received a $2.27 million grant to renovate the former Clark Fork Inn into transitional housing for veterans. The organization, which operates Missoula’s two emergency homeless shelters for adults, won the competitive grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines. Construction of the Housing Montana Heroes project is set to begin this year and will include 16 units, according to the Poverello. The shelter has provided a two-year transitional housing program for veterans since 2014, giving them time to regain stability and work toward housing and other goals.
Missoula County is seeking public comment on the cleanup alternatives for the base area buildings at Marshall Mountain through Jan. 23. Before the county purchased the site in March 2024, an environmental review found hazardous materials, including asbestos and lead-based paint, primarily in the base buildings, said Sindie Kennedy, a county grants administrator. Lead was also found in soil around the rope-tow building. The contamination does not pose a risk to the public currently using Marshall Mountain Park, Kennedy said. A study proposes four cleanup alternatives, with the preferred option to abate all hazards in the main base building to prepare for future renovation, demolish the lodge and the rope-tow base shack, and remove contaminated soil. Residents can comment on the cleanup plan online.
Residents looking to recycle their live Christmas trees can drop them off for free through Jan. 15 at Garden City Compost or designated areas of McCormick Park, Playfair Park or Ft. Missoula Regional Park. The city asks that all decorations be removed before dropoff.
Comings and Goings
Community Medical Center on Thursday celebrated its new Heart Center, a 19,000-square-foot facility that will expand access to cardiology services for western Montana’s growing and aging population, according to the hospital.
The project is the organization’s most recent collaboration with Billings Clinic, which Community partnered with about 10 years ago. Lifepoint Health, Community’s parent company, paid $17.9 million for the center, located at the hospital’s South Avenue campus. The building opens to patients on Monday.
“We’re doing comprehensive cardiology care here,” said Matt Weiss, a cardiologist at Community Health Center. “We’re really proud of delivering really personalized care. We treat our patients like family and we’ll continue to do that in our beautiful new home that we get to welcome our family into.”
The Heart Center includes 12 outpatient exam rooms, eight pre-op and recovery bays, two new cath labs and office space. Community outgrew its previous 20-year-old cardiology facility as it expanded care, hiring seven doctors since 2018 with more to come, Weiss said.
Greg Cook, Community CEO, said the new center fits the organization’s trajectory of providing more care to patients in and around Missoula
“As we look to the future, Community Medical Center is committed to ensuring we expand access to services, technology and healthcare professionals to meet the needs of our community,” he said.